Greville Waterman reports on an encouraging performance - albeit an early exit from the Carling Cup.

Brentford were taught a lesson by their undeserved 1-0 defeat by Bristol City in a pulsating Carling Cup clash tonight - if you don't take your chances you won't win matches.

The Bees more than matched their Championship opponents and created chance after chance but the ball refused to go in. Helped by an excellent performance from their keeper Dean Gherken, City went through by virtue of Nicky Maynard's 58th minute goal.

Brentford dominated the first half after Bull's excellent early save from Fontaine when the defence went to sleep after a quickly taken free kick but Weston, Wood, Bennett, Saunders and then Kabba failed to take their chances - most notably when Kabba ran half the length of the field, beat his man, went round the keeper and then comically lost his footing at the crucial moment.

Brentford's football was confident and sharp with Foster and Saunders on one flank and Wood and Dickson on the other linking beautifully.

Haynes was booked near the interval for a spectacularly stupid piece of petulance and this idiocy came back to haunt him when he left his foot in a challenge on Wood and saw red after 51 minutes.

This seemed to spark City into life and Brentford went flat for a 20 miunute spell which saw Maynard head the ball home after Fontaine had knocled the ball back after Bull had half cleared a cross.

The last 20 minutes saw the Bees dominate and Saunders could have had a hat trick with a free kick turned wide by the keeper and a 20 yard curler spectacularly saved before his header from a late Wood cross bounced on the bar twice before going over.

So it wasn't to be tonight but the performance was good and Kabba and Weston linked up well together up front.

Cort's height and strength would have come in useful tonight but in truth the performance augers well for the long season ahead and the Bees have much to be pleased about.